


How the Third Task Could Have Gone

by letsgooutintherain



Series: Tetrawizard Tournament [2]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Dueling, Injury, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:28:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24806209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/letsgooutintherain/pseuds/letsgooutintherain
Summary: What if Barty decided to put Ed under the imperius instead? After all, he was the first in the maze, the one with the best chances to reach the cup first and destroy all their plans.
Relationships: Edward Elric/Roy Mustang
Series: Tetrawizard Tournament [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1760923
Comments: 9
Kudos: 114





	How the Third Task Could Have Gone

He made it around the next corner of the maze and then he heard it. 

"Imperio!"

The silence of the hedges lost its creepy edge and the next turn was nothing to worry about, nor was any of the rest. He could do anything right now, but he also didn't need to, he was happy just standing here. 

"Incapacitate all champions except Harry Potter, before they reach the centre. Better make them scream so the others come running."

A part of him wanted to do just that. It would be easy and what would it matter, really?

Another part, the part that had never taken the easy way, the part that had heard impossible to cure and decided to do it anyway, the part that had seen men made puppets and all but begged Roy to teach him not to ever let it happen to him, that part said no. No. No! NO!

Ed whirled around. "Stupefy!"

The spell was deflected and Professor Moody - Professor Moody?! - lifted his wand "Avada-"

Ed let himself fall to the ground, green shot over his head, heartbeat going wild in his ears. 

He transfigured the ground into a giant fist that grabbed for Moody, who predictably decimated it with a bombarda. Ed promptly banished the debris at him. He followed it with a stunner and then a reducto. Moody deflected every single one.

A light shot at Ed and he was forced to pull a shield of his own up.

"Crucio!"

Ed let himself fall to the ground for the second time, managed to get out a freezing spell at the ground and when Moody fought for his balance on the now slippery ground he followed it up with an incarcerus.

Moody deflected unsteadily then shot another avada at Ed, who just about managed to pull up a wall he could duck behind. 

When he lifted his head to look over the barrier Moody had banished the ice.

For a moment they stared at each other, panting. 

Ed had no idea what was going on and he knew he needed help, but the second it would take to send up sparks might be enough for Moody to kill him. 

And then Moody's wand moved and Ed ducked behind his wall, only to have it explode, the force throwing him backwards. He hit the ground hard, pain exploded in his head but he couldn't stop to assess the damage. There was an intersection just ahead and he threw himself around the corner, just as another jet of green light hit where he had landed. 

Ed ducked low and fired a bombarda around the corner at the ground at Moody's feet, banished the debris at him and then sent a stunner for good measure. 

A volley of spells answered and he got a shield up for the first two, ducked the red one just in case, but the yellow jet of light slashed into his right shoulder. Searing pain shot through him and all sense of the prosthesis was ripped from his mind. 

Ed grit his teeth against a shout and answered with a jet of fire, then transfigured spikes rising from the ground and used the moment Moody took to bombarda them away to send another stunner. 

There was no answering spell and when the debris and dust settled Moody was on the ground. 

"Accio wand," Ed muttered, followed by an incarcerus. And then a second one for good measure. 

Then he sat down hard. His hand was shaking so hard he wasn't sure how he'd been able to point the wand. Fuck. How had this...? Fuck.

He looked at his shoulder. His robe was torn and sticky with blood, a deep gauge ran through the prosthesis and right into the flesh of his shoulder, gushing blood.

Cutting curse, his mind supplied. 

Moody had tried to kill him. Had tried to make him take out everyone but Harry.

Had... oh fuck.

It took him two tries to shoot up sparks. His whole body was shaking now. 

Oh fuck. Oh fuck. 

Right. It took another two tries to manage a bandaging spell for his shoulder.

He looked at Moody again, froze when the face moved. Or rather the scars vanished, hair receded, turned straw blond, the nose shrank. 

Polyjuice.

A part of him vaguely wondered how long Moody had not been Moody. If it was just tonight or the whole of the Tournament.

Steps from behind and Ed whirled around, brought his wand up. 

And then stopped when he recognized Professor Flitwick. 

"Mr Elric, what..." Flitwick trailed off when he saw the man, bound and stunned on the ground.

"He looked like Moody," Ed whispered and even his voice was shaking, "Tried to imperio me into taking out the champions, to make sure only Harry reached the cup. Tried to kill me when it didn't work."

"I see," Flitwick said, and cast a spell of his own at Moody. If it had any effect Ed couldn't see it. "Any injury beside your shoulder?"

Ed swallowed. "Bumps and bruises." 

"And you said he looked like Professor Moody?"

Ed nodded. He felt nauseous, his shoulder and head pounded. 

Flitwick nodded and cast a patronus. "Dumbledore, Moody was an imposter. He attacked Mr Elric and tried to ensure only Mr Potter would make it to the cup."

The silvery shape, something between a very big cat and a fox, shot off through the hedges.

He finally turned back to Ed. "Can you walk or do you want a stretcher?"

Ed wasn't sure he could walk, but he sure wasn't going to leave the maze on anything but his own two feet. 

"I might need a hand up," he said. 

Flitwick took his hand and pulled with surprising strength until Ed had his feet under him. For a moment the world swayed, then steadied. His shoulder only pounded harder. Ed breathed, closed his eyes. "I can walk. I think."

Flitwick sent him an assessing look, but then nodded, conjured a stretcher under the not-Moody and levitated it.

"Hold on to the stretcher while we walk."

Ed nodded, glad for the added stability, even if he would never say that out loud.

"Now, can you tell me exactly what happened?" Flitwick asked, walking straight at the nearest hedge, which promptly opened like a doorway. Nifty. Ed wanted to know how that worked, but he was supposed to explain. Right. Ed swallowed, leaned on the stretcher a little harder, then started to talk. 

Flitwick didn't interrupt and kept his silence even when Ed ran out of words. Hedges opened and closed behind them. Ed wasn't at all sure how long he was going to be able to keep walking. He felt lightheaded. 

And then a hedge opened and noise descended on them. 

The next second Roy was there and for once Ed didn't care what it would look like, he let go of the stretcher, made that half step over to Roy, buried his head in his uniform and held on for dear life. It probably said something that Roy held on just as tight. 

"Edward. Ed, it's all right. You're safe. Let's get you over to the medi witch."

Then Al was there, Winry right behind him and Ed held on to them instead. The world was starting to sway again.

"Let me through! Let me through, I need to take a look at him," a woman said and when Ed looked up he recognized the medi witch. 

"Sit down." She pressed him down right where he was and he was a little surprised to find a chair under him. Conjured up, his mind supplied. 

"Drink this and then tell me what you were hit with as best as you can remember." Ed grimaced at the bitter taste of a blood replenteshing potion.

"Severing charm to the shoulder. Was thrown back by an explosion. Hit my head on impact," Ed managed and then turned to Winry. "Sorry about the prosthesis."

"We don't care about the prosthesis, you dolt," Granny said, finally catching up. "We got you back in one piece, that's what matters."

Ed nodded and closed his eyes, leaning his head against Al. 

Then opened them again. "Did they get the others out in time? What happened?"

"Harry, Cedric and Fleur are back," Al whispered, "But they couldn't find Krum and the Cup has vanished."

"Fuck," Ed muttered and then grit his teeth when the medi witch did something to his shoulder that tickled but then numbed the pain. 

"Let others worry about that, Fullmetal," Roy said, "I'll reassure the other students that you're alive but I'm going to be back in a minute."

"All right," Winry said.

"He's safe with us," Granny added.

Ed nearly smiled. He had never seen Granny duel anyone but he'd still bet she was a force to be reckoned with.

"I healed your wound but you hit your head, young man, I'd like to keep you in the hospital wing for the night, to make sure there are no complications."

Ed shook his head. "No, absolutely not."

"Yes," Granny replied immediately, "But Alphonse will stay with him."

"He needs rest," the medi witch protested.

"And he'll get more of it if he can be sure his brother is safe," Granny countered.

"I'm not convinced you'd even get him into the hospital wing without Al," Winry added, "But we'll come too, for now. We need to have a look at his prosthesis."

"Fine," the medi witch huffed.

* * *

Roy brought news the next morning. 

"The imposter is dead, killed by a dementor but Dumbledore had a chance to interrogate him beforehand. Apparently this was an attempt to bring Voldemort back to full power. The Cup was a portkey to a graveyard in Little Hangleton. They found Krum's body there."

"Fuck," Ed muttered. He hadn't exactly liked Krum, but no-one deserved that. "What about the real Moody?"

"Alive, if not well," Roy replied.

"And the ritual. Did it work?" Al added. 

"I don't know," Roy said tiredly, "I already sent warnings back home. We'll prepare for refuges, keep a closer eye on those who might listen to Voldemort's promises and otherwise keep out of it. Unless they ask for help it's their fight, not ours."

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually my first idea for the fic, but the other version worked better in the end. Still, I already had it written and thought I might as well share.  
> Thank you for reading.


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